Jiang Zhishu stood up and walked behind Luo Peng, taking the metal tin from her hand.

On the tin was a large drawing of a white cat’s head. He didn’t open it. “This is cooling ointment.”

The ointment he had used on Luo Peng earlier was not from this round tin.

“It’s not the same,” Luo Peng smiled gently as she looked at him. “This ointment was made by Chuxia herself. I’ve used it already. Look, do you think the redness has gone down?”

Luo Peng brushed her hair aside, giving Jiang Zhishu a clearer view.

The previously bright red area on her neck had indeed faded; the sunburned skin was slowly healing.

Jiang Zhishu opened the round tin, and a fresh herbal scent wafted out. It wasn’t unpleasant.

The ointment inside was a translucent green.

He dipped his finger in and carefully applied a small amount to Luo Peng’s skin.

“Does it hurt?” Jiang Zhishu asked.

“No, it feels cool and comfortable,” Luo Peng replied.

Jiang Zhishu continued to apply the ointment to the sunburned area on Luo Peng’s neck.

As he held the ointment, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Luo Peng let her hair down and turned to look at Jiang Zhishu’s expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Jiang Zhishu placed the small round tin on the table and looked up at her. “Is this ointment Chuxia’s secret recipe?”

Luo Peng didn’t know.

She hadn’t asked Chuxia.

Jiang Zhishu said, “Could you ask her for me? If it is, I have a business proposition for her.”

Luo Peng blinked and thought for a moment about Jiang Zhishu’s business.

He didn’t talk about it much, but whenever there was a big move, he would consult her since, if things went wrong, they might lose all their money.

“Is it about that medical research business you’ve been working on?”

This venture had a significant initial investment, and the period before any profits could be made was long.

When Jiang Zhishu first started, he had told Luo Peng that if it failed, they might lose everything they had earned so far.

After hearing this, Luo Peng had hugged him and said, “It’s okay, I still have my job. I can support you.”

Jiang Zhishu had immediately lifted her into his arms, expressing the depth of his emotions through his actions.

Jiang Zhishu nodded. “Yes, I need more medical formulas.”

He had already found suitable medical researchers from prestigious schools and chemists.

In addition to this, he was also scouting professionals for his electronics business.

These were the two fields he wanted to focus on for future development.

Ideally, he could combine mechanics and medicine, as there was a vast untapped market in this area domestically.

Luo Peng said, “I’ll ask Chuxia for you.”

After hearing Luo Peng explain Jiang Zhishu’s idea, Chuxia fell into deep thought. “Let me think about it for a few days before I give you an answer.”

Luo Peng wasn’t in a hurry; business matters couldn’t be rushed, as haste often led to mistakes.

Chuxia continued to think about this after returning from Jiang Zhishu’s grandfather’s house.

Did she have secret family recipes?

Yes, in her previous life, her grandfather had forced her to memorize recipes passed down through the family.

Her grandfather had taught her and his other apprentices.

But even with the recipes, without proper medical training, it would be impossible to produce the medicines.

Some recipes also required special techniques during preparation.

Chuxia hesitated about whether to give the recipe to Jiang Zhishu.

In the past, there had been people who wanted to collaborate with her grandfather, but his traditional views held that recipes should only be passed down to apprentices or family members, not outsiders.

This mindset was common in many families with traditional Chinese medicine or other skills, and it had led to the loss of much ancient knowledge when the inheritors passed away without teaching others.

Moreover, Chuxia wasn’t the only person in her family, and this was a significant collaboration with Jiang Zhishu.

Ceng Zhenian and Ceng Huaian should know about it too.

Chuxia held a small family meeting to discuss the potential collaboration regarding the recipe.

She couldn’t reveal all the family’s recipes. Since Jiang Zhishu was only interested in the sunburn ointment, she decided to offer only that one.

“This recipe is something I came up with while studying. It works well, but I’ve never shared it with outsiders. Now my cousin is interested in it. What do you think about collaborating with him?” Chuxia couldn’t say it was a recipe passed down from her ancestors, so she presented it this way.

Ceng Huaian looked at Ceng Zhenian, then at Chuxia.

He was the first to speak. “Mom, I’ll support whatever you choose.”

The recipe belonged to his mother, and she had the right to decide what to do with it. Neither he nor his father had the authority to make that decision.

Ceng Zhenian also nodded. “It’s your recipe. You should make the decision. I feel the same as Huaian.”

He took Chuxia’s hand to show his support.

Chuxia smiled at both of them. “If you two keep this up, we won’t be able to hold a proper family meeting.”

Ceng Huaian replied, “But Mom, it’s your recipe. It wouldn’t make sense for Dad and me to decide for you.”

Chuxia couldn’t share her true feelings.

If the recipe had truly been her own creation, she wouldn’t be so conflicted.

Waving her hand, she told them to go take a bath. “Let me think about it on my own.”

Ceng Zhenian saw her troubled expression.

Though he didn’t know what was bothering her, he respected her wishes, stood up, and gently rubbed her hair with his thumb. “Don’t overthink it. Do what feels right to you.”

Ceng Huaian added, “Mom, I don’t want you to worry.”

Chuxia patted his head. “Okay, I understand.”

After they left, Chuxia stared at the water in her cup, murmuring to herself, “Grandpa, would you want me to share the recipe?”

The summer flowers were blooming, and every day Chuxia would either pick some wildflowers or cut a few roses from the backyard to place in a vase on the table.

Today, the rose in the vase became the object of Chuxia’s contemplation.

“Grandpa, if you agree, let the number of petals be odd.”

Chuxia started counting the petals.

She didn’t need to finish; she already knew the answer in her heart.

Still, she plucked all the petals, and as it turned out, there was indeed an odd number.

Clapping her hands, she stood up with a relaxed smile on her face. “Alright, no more hesitation. Grandpa has agreed.”

When Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huaian came out of the bathroom, Chuxia immediately announced, “I’ve decided to collaborate with Cousin-in-law!”

Cen Zhengnian was happy for her.

His main concern was that Chuxia had been overthinking and that it might affect her mood.

Whether or not they collaborated wasn’t a big deal to him.

Cen Huaian felt the same.

The next day, Chuxia called Luo Peng to inform her of the decision to collaborate.

Initially, Chuxia planned to take some time off to discuss the collaboration details with Jiang Zhishu thoroughly.

However, when she returned home at noon, she was surprised to find Jiang Zhishu, Luo Peng, and their daughter Jiang Weixi already at her house.

Cen Huaian was playing with Jiang Weixi and three puppies, while Jiang Zhishu and Luo Peng sat on the sofa, watching the two kids.

Seeing them, Chuxia was a bit surprised. “Cousin, Cousin-in-law?”

Jiang Zhishu and Luo Peng stood up.

Jiang Zhishu, knowing Luo Peng was close to Chuxia, simply nodded at her and let Luo Peng do the talking.

“Chuxia, I’m sorry,” Luo Peng said with a smile, looking apologetic. “Zhishu and I were a bit too excited after hearing you agreed to collaborate, and we couldn’t wait. We came over today.”

“No worries.” Chuxia smiled back. “It’s actually more convenient this way. I don’t have to make another trip to see you.”

“Auntie!” Jiang Weixi shouted excitedly when she saw Chuxia.

Chuxia waved back. “Hello, Weixi.”

“I’m good!” Jiang Weixi mimicked the wave with her small hand, excited to learn from the adults.

While Chuxia and Jiang Zhishu discussed the collaboration, Luo Peng took Jiang Weixi with Cen Huaian to his room to play with his toys.

Jiang Zhishu wasted no time and placed two contracts in front of Chuxia. “Let’s talk business. Here are two proposals: one for purchasing the formula outright, and one for a technical equity partnership.”

After speaking, he allowed Chuxia to take her time reading through the contracts without interrupting or pressuring her.

Jiang Zhishu was sincere about the collaboration.

Apart from their family relationship, Jiang Zhishu was known to be a fair businessperson who preferred win-win partnerships rather than exploiting others.

Chuxia carefully read every line of both contracts and could genuinely feel Jiang Zhishu’s desire to collaborate.

Whether it was the buyout offer or the technical equity option, the prices were more than fair, even considered high for this period.

“Cousin, are you sure you’re not giving me special treatment with this contract?”

Jiang Zhishu looked at her with his usual calm expression. “This price was evaluated by our company’s professionals. Your formula is worth this much.”

Of course, Jiang Zhishu wouldn’t approach Chuxia without doing his due diligence.

He had already taken the ointment Chuxia gave to Luo Peng to his company’s lab, where his research team confirmed that its effectiveness was superior to what was currently on the market.

Only then did he come to discuss the collaboration.

Chuxia picked up the technical equity partnership proposal and said, “I’ll choose this one.”

If this had been her only formula, she might have opted for the buyout.

However, she planned to continue researching traditional Chinese medicine and use the formulas she remembered from her past life.

Jiang Zhishu was the best partner for this.

Chuxia didn’t trust other companies not to take advantage of her, but she trusted Jiang Zhishu’s integrity.

Jiang Zhishu, unsurprised by her decision, put away the other contract. “If you come up with more formulas in the future, the profit-sharing will vary based on market value and the formula’s effectiveness. However, with a technical equity partnership, when the company improves the formula, you’ll be expected to provide technical assistance.”

Chuxia nodded. “I agree.”

Since everything was already written in the contract, and neither had any objections, they signed the deal that day.

Chuxia wrote out the formula for Jiang Zhishu, including every step, the specific techniques needed, how to grind the ingredients, the required temperature, and all other details.

“If the product doesn’t come out right using this recipe, let me know.”

“Alright, looking forward to a successful partnership,” Jiang Zhishu said, extending his hand.

“Looking forward to it,” Chuxia replied, shaking his hand.

Chuxia’s worries turned out to be valid, as there was indeed a problem with the production process.

0Despite following the instructions precisely, the final product wasn’t the same as the original.

When Jiang Zhishu called Chuxia, his researchers had already been struggling with the issue for several days.

“I’m off tomorrow. I’ll come by and take a look.”

Jiang Zhishu offered to send someone to pick her up.

Chuxia had shown Cen Zhengnian the contract on the day they signed it, with three copies made, and she kept one for herself.

“I’m one step closer to buying that courtyard house!” Chuxia said happily. Previously, she and Cen Zhengnian had invested all their money with Jiang Zhida.

Since the factory and entertainment venues weren’t fully profitable yet, they hadn’t made back their investment.

This new collaboration with Jiang Zhishu gave Chuxia hope again.

Cen Zhengnian knew how much Chuxia wanted to buy the courtyard house.

He asked why she was still so eager, even though the family already had one.

“Because the house Mom and Dad gave us belongs to all of us. Even though it’s in my name, it’s not just mine. I want to buy one on my own.”

Seeing that Cen Zhengnian still didn’t quite understand, Chuxia grinned and explained, “What if one day you and Huaian make me mad? I’ll go to my own house, and you won’t be able to get in!”

Cen Zhengnian finally understood, though he frowned slightly.

Though Chuxia had said it in a joking tone, Cen Zhengnian sensed her underlying insecurity.

She still didn’t fully trust him.

Cen Zhengnian felt a pang of heartache rise in his chest.

He suddenly reached out and pulled Chu Xia into his arms, gently patting her back as he said, “If you want to buy a courtyard house, just buy it. You can use my entire salary if you need to.”